Both the UK and Scottish Governments are desperate to push more companies to export their goods to boost Britain's trade balance to help get the economy back to health.

Crab and lobster processing company Burgon is arguably an ideal model for what they want to see from the SME sector. Around a third of the 100-yearold, Eyemouth-based, familyowned company's sales are overseas in France, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Spain and Italy. It is one of the biggest employers in the fishing port with between 50 and 70 people working in its factory which operates all year round.

Sales director Grahame Sinclair (pictured) and his colleagues are working hard to grow exports as well as sales in the UK. Recently it launched a new crab cake for Café Rouge which has sold beyond expectations and it has also developed a new 'snap and eat' crab claws package for the Morrisons supermarket chain. It supplies crab meat to most of the multiples and has a growing variety of products.

Sinclair says there was nothing in the emergency budget that alarmed the company but his biggest concern for the company, which processes a million crabs a year, is going into another recessionary dip. "We know how painful the first one was and whilst we are gathering momentum now I don't want that put in check," he says.

"One of the encouraging things is the new product development teams of the various companies which make products for retail chains have started to show interest in crab again in the last six months. For the previous 18 months they didn't want to talk about it."

Sinclair is also concerned about the high price of fuel. "We use a lot of oil in our cooking because we are heating water every day and transport costs are also up." One of the biggest costs for the company is paying for its shell waste to go into landfill. He fears further rises could be crippling.

Two years ago, with help from Scottish Enterprise Borders, Sinclair visited the Far East to see if there were opportunities. "The recession came at the wrong time in Dubai. But we still think that is a market we will visit probably in the next six months to a year. We have tried in the last year to develop more business with the French markets both in fresh and frozen. Certainly in the export market - for all the demise that is going on in the economies of Spain and France - our products are in strong demand.

"The biggest damaging thing for us right now is our margins are being eroded due to the exchange rate. That is a real issue and we are in the position of negotiating our position with one or two long term contracts."

Sinclair recommends potential exporters to visit specialist shows overseas. "If people ask me what has been fundamental in trying to develop the business, there have been two very important aspects. One is read trade magazines and see if there is anything relevant in any of the editorials where you may have a business opportunity. Secondly, go to shows or exhibitions. They are very useful in networking and in introducing new ideas."